Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today met with local officials and community residents in Louisa, Va., and highlighted a Recovery Act project that was announced on the 100th day of the Recovery Act. As a result of a $3.3 loan through USDA Rural Development, the community of Louisa will expand their current wastewater treatment plant’s processing capabilities and improve local water quality.
Louisa, VA is a town of 1500 residents located between Richmond and Charlottesville. Like many rural areas, Louisa is in need of investments and assistance to upgrade critical infrastructure. Mayor Jim Artz highlighted how important the USDA loan was for his community. “Our infrastructure really needs some work, this is an old town, “ said Artz. “Conventional loans would have placed a tremendous load on our annual budget, because of this is a USDA loan, we are looking at a savings of $60,000 per year. This is big savings for a small town.”

Mayor Artz went on to explain that with the loan from USDA’s Rural Development agency, the town was abale to leverage additional funding from Louisa County and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

It turns out that the Louisa Town Hall where today’s announcement took place was renovated in the last few years by a Community Facilities Grant from the USDA. The Town Hall is now a multi-use facility with an art gallery, administrative offices and a theater.